Before you get to the glute workout routine, here are several exercises that heavily emphasize the muscles, to decrease injury risk and make you super strong. Build up the posterior chain creating an attractive physique.
Several of the exercises are unilateral which helps correct any side to side imbalances.
These exercises are a lot harder than they look. Don’t take them lightly. If you do theme right you might be walking a little funny the next few days.
Foam Rolling
You can perform this routine before or after the workout. Simply roll on your hip flexors, quads, TFL, and IT Band. If you aren’t accustomed to the foam roller, you’re probably tight or stiff. So, be sure to do the foam rolling because you don’t to negatively impact your ability to maximally activate your glutes.
Mobility Work
Before you hit the lower body, the goal here is to increase mobility at the hips and ankles. You’re also increasing muscle temperature along with neural drive to the muscles prior to training.
Here are the drills.
- Ankle Mobility Drill
- Side to Side Leg Swings
- Front to Back Leg Swings
- Pull Back Butt Kicks
- Knee Hugs
- Glute Activation
- Walking Spidermans
If your glutes aren’t firing properly, it’s essential you have some kind of activation work prior to a glute workout routine. The goal is to wake up the sleeping muscles so we can train them better.
The muscles start working because of reciprocal inhibition. This means that when one muscle is tight (or contracted), the opposing muscle is shut down.
Basically, you want to fire the opposing muscle to get it to turn off. When it comes to the hips, tight hip flexors can turn off the glutes so it’s important to stretch these muscles before activating the glute muscles.
- Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch – Hold for 30 seconds per leg
- Glute Bridge – Perform 10 repetitions
- Quadruped Piriformis Stretch – Hold for 30 seconds per leg
- Modified Fire Hydrants – Perform 10 repetitions per leg
- Glute Alphabet – Perform once with each leg
By the time you finish this routine, your glutes should be fired up by now.
Glute Workout Routine
Single Leg (without support) Squat
The advantage of this exercise is how more effective it is to engage the gluteus medius when compared to the lunges and Bulgarian squats.
In this single leg variation, the glute medius works hard to prevent medial rotation of the femur.
Strengthening the gluteus medius can go along way to help relieve knee pain that’s due to an inactive gluteus medius.
Warm up for 5 repetitions per leg. Then perform 3 sets of 5 to 8 reps per leg. Rest 90 seconds between sets.
If you start with the weaker leg, you can match the number of repetitions with the stronger leg. If the discrepancy between the legs is large, perform an additional set with the weaker leg only.
Romanian Deadlift (Single Leg) off Box
The off-the-box version of this exercise is great for people that struggle with technique because it allows the performer return to balance between reps and use more weight.
It also prevents the stretch shortening cycle from coming into play resulting in greater muscular contraction of the glutes hamstrings.
Place two dumbbells on a low box (about 8″). From here, bend forward at the hip bringing one leg straight out behind you in line with your body. Try to make a flat line from ankle to head.
Grasp the dumbbells as you bend the planted leg. Stand up as you extend the the glutes strongly contracting then drive the hips back as you lower to the start position. Make sure the dumbbells come to a complete stop on the box between reps.
Focus on the trailing leg and the body moving as one unit. You may struggle to balance in the beginning, but over time this movement shall become easier and weight lifted will increase drastically.
Perform 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps per leg. Rest 90 seconds between.
Also, during the movement be sure the toe of the trailing foot remains pointed downward. A common mistake is the foot turning outward.
Bulgarian Squat
Place the trailing foot on the bench creating a long lunge position. Maintain upright then squat down until the rear knee almost touches the floor. Return to start. Hold dumbbells to make this more difficult.
Perform 3 sets of 12 reps. Rest 90 seconds between.
A tight rectus femoris might make it difficult to reach the bottom position without bending forward. Perform stretching and foam rolling to that area.
Squats
Unilateral movements have several advantages such as correcting side to side imbalances and increasing proprioception, but when it comes increasing strength and hypertrophy, bilateral movements are more effective.
To hit the glutes and hamstrings, be sure to descend past parallel. Go deep without flexion of the lumbar spine.
Lower to the bottom of the squat, come half way up, return to the bottom, and finally come all the way up. Avoid bouncing at the bottom. This is one repetition.
Perform 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps. Rest 90 seconds between.
After this glute workout routine glutes will likely be so sore the next week. However, you’ll be stronger and less prone to injuries. You’ll also feel better about your body and possibly get more looks coming your way.
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